Safety gas cock or valve.



' 'PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

E. RE BENNETT & M. I. EKERN.

' SAFETY GAS COCK 0B VALVE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 19. 1906.

V w I I lvwenbzs A MW W J. zmmf NITED STATES ATEN FFICE.

EDI/VIN R. BENNETT AND MELVIN I. EKERN, OF FLANDREAU, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SAFETY GAS COCK R VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

T 0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN It. BENNETT and MELVIN I. EKERN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Flandreau, county of Moody, and State ofSouth Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety Gas Cocks or Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to safety gas cocks or valves.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a gas cock orvalve having means for automatically locking it when in closed position,said locking device having to be manually released before the valve orcook can be opened, so that the gas cannot be turned on except bypremeditation on the part of the user, thereby preventing any loosenessof the valve or cock or accidental touch of the key by the user fromcausing the valve or cook to again open after it has once been turnedoff.

The invention is set forth fully hereinafter and the novel featuresthereof are recited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying draw ngs: Figures 1 and 2 are side views of mycomplete invention; Fig. 3, a bottom view; Fig. 4, a longitudinalsection; Fig. 5, a horizontal sec tion on line 5 of Fig. 1 taken throughthe locking mechanism, showing the locking aperture in the valve or cookFig. 6, a detail of the cook or valve showing one of the two similarlocking pin openings; and Fig. 7, a perspective view of the completeinvention.

The valve casing 1 is of ordinary construction, the same being providedwith the usual tapered valve-seat 2.

The valve, which is shown at 3, is of ordinary construction, beingprovided with a pin 4 to strike against the shoulders 5 and 6 on thevalve casing when the valve is closed, except that it has, in addition,locking pin openings 7 and 8 located 180 apart, which have cam grooves 9and 10 leading to them.

An opening 11 is provided. in the valve casing to receive a locking pin12, which has an enlarged part 13 provided with a head 14, said enlargedpart 13 being journaled in an eye or hearing 15 on the casing 1, saidbearing or eye permitting turning and longitudinal movement of the pinand. its enlarged part. Surrounding the enlarged part 13 is a coilspring 16 which is secured at 17 to the collar or head 14, and its otherend is secured to the valve casing at 18, said spring having a tendencyto both rotate and project the pin.

The finger-piece 19 is secured to the collar 14 and is positioned toengage either one of two different notches 20 or 21 or to lie againstthe tooth 22.

hen the finger-piece 19 is against the tooth or shoulder .22, thelocking pin is provjected into one or the other of the locking pin holes7 or 8 (assuming the valve to be turned one way or the other and closed)and said valve cannot then be turned. When the finger-piece 19 isshifted (against the action of the coil spring) and allowed to rest inthe notch 20, the locking pin is retracted sufIiciently so that uponturning of the valve by hand, the locking pin will ride up one or theother of the grooves 9 or 10 (as the casemay be) and the continuedturning of the valve will release the finger-piece from the notch 20,whereupon the coil spring will snap the finger-piece out of alinementwith the notch and into position so that when the valve has been turnedto the opposite extreme, or completely closed again, the said coilspring will snap the finger-piece to its original position and cause thelocking pin to snap into the other of the two locking pin holes 7 or 8,thereby locking the valve so that it cannot be turned open except uponagain placing the finger-piece in the notch 20. When the valve is turnedback again, the foregoing operation will be repeated. When the valve isallowed to remain open, the gas burning, the valve may be turned withinwide limits to raise or lower the gas or until the valve is completelyclosed so that all necessary regu lation is provided for.

If it is desired to prevent locking of the valve altogether, thefinger-piece can be turned and allowed to engage the notch 21, at whichtime the locking pin will be completely retracted and out of engagementwith the valve.

To take up any longitudinal lost motion in the valve, I find itadvantageous to employ a small coil spring between the valve Washer andthe valve casing.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a safety gas cook or valve, the combination with a rotary gasvalve or cook, of an the valve.

2. In a safety gas cock or valve, the com bination with a rotary orturning plug or valve having a locking pin opening, and a cam surfaceleading to said opening, of a spring-actuated locking pin positioned tosnap into the opening aforesaid or to bear on the cam surface aforesaid,and a catch for holding the locking pin raised out of the openingaforesaid in position for engagement by the cam surface, said camsurface being adapted, on turning of the valve, to disengage the lockingpin from its catch.

3. In a safety gas cook or valve, the combination with a rotary orturning plug or valve having a locking pin opening, and a cam surfaceleadin to said opening, of a spring-actuated loc ring pin positioned tosnap into the opening aforesaid or to bear on the cam surface aforesaid,a catch for holding the locking pin raised out of the opening aforesaidin position for engagement by the cam surface, said cam surface beingadapted, on turning of the valve, to disengage the locking pin from itscatch, and another catch for holding the locking pin entirely retracted.

41. In a safety gas cock or valve, the combination with a rotary orturning plug or valve having a locking pin opening, and a cam surfaceleading to said opening, of a longitudinally movable rotatable lockingpin positioned to engage the locking pin opening and the cam surface, aspring co-acting with said pin and adapted to project it for engagementwith the valve and also to rotate or turn it, and a catch adapted tohold said pin when turned and retracted out of the pin opening, wherebythe pin can be engaged by the cam surface when the valve is turned andthereby disengaged from the catch to enable the spring to turn the pinand project it in position to lock the valve.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto affix our signatures in presence oftwo witnesses.

EDWIN R. BENNETT. MELVIN I. EKERW. Witnesses F. A. WARREN, W. H.PHILLIPs.

